New in class : On introduction and use of tablets in school from schoolchildren´s perspective

This thesis is concerned with the introduction of digital tablets toschoolchildren. The aim is to contribute to knowledge about howtablets can be introduced and used as a mediating tool in schoolworkby drawing focusing on the schoolchildren’s perspective andunderstanding of this medium. The research questions addressed inthis study were as follows: 1) What characterizes the schoolchildren’suse of the tablet as a tool? 2) How do the schoolchildren perceive theintroduction and use of the tablet as a tool in school? and 3) Whatlimits and conditions are emerging as important for schoolchildrenwhen they encounter tablets in school. This thesis draws on researchwithin on socio-cultural perspectives on education, with a particularfocus on the concept of empowerment as a key element in promotingschoolchildren’s health and wellbeing. In line with SCOT, The socialconstruction of technology, based on technology and focusing on itsmeeting with the social context, technology is deemed not to bepredetermined, but rather, negotiable. The material comes from a casestudy involving 17 schoolchildren in grade six. The study lasted for anacademic year from the beginning of the fall semester when they weregiven their tablet and continued through to the end of the school year.The data collected includes observations, a special task called “tellanother class", written questions and individual interviews with all 17schoolchildren at the end of the school year. The material wasanalyzed by using meaning analysis which resulted in three themes.The first theme, yet another tool in school, explores how the tabletsschoolchildren and the teacher sought opportunities to use the tabletin their classes and school work. The second theme, given roles andunclear expectations, is about how students perceived the tablet inrelation to themselves and their expectations about what the tabletcame to mean for the students. The third theme, the overridingtechnology, highlights the schoolchildren’s belief that the tablet neededto be supplemented with more peripheral activities if it were to provevaluable, and their focus on the technology in its own right. Thediscussion highlights the importance of seeing the students as apossible resource and involving them and empowering them byproffering them a say in the process. The schoolchildren saw the tabletmore as a technical artifact than as a tool for learning. The tablets weremainly used to write notes and search for information on the Internet.My conclusion is that investment in tablets in schools is more complexthan access to technology: to be effective, the entire organization mustsupport the process and schoolchildren need to be involved and havethe opportunity to influence how they are used if they are to beempowered by the process. The tablet as a technical unit needs tobenegotiated in the school organization in order to create a commonunderstanding of what it is and how it should be used.Godkänd; 2015; 20150420 (mogr); Nedanstående person kommer att hålla licentiatseminarium för avläggande av filosofie licentiatexamen. Namn: Monica Grape Ämne: Pedagogik / Education Uppsats: Ny i klassen Om införande och användning av pekplatta i skolan ur ett elevperspektiv Examinator: Docent Åsa Gardelli Avdelning Medier ljudteknik och upplevelseproduktion och teater Institutionen för konst, kommunikation och lärande Diskutant: Docent Ola Lindberg Mittuniversitetet Sundsvall Tid: Måndag den 15 juni 2015 kl 13.00 Plats: D770, Luleå tekniska universite